S01.E07: Wherever You Are Is My Home

[Camera One]

20 minutes ago, Negritude said:

I just watched on Netflix so...that was really the season finale or did more episodes air in Canada? It seemed very odd to have it end there.

It ended there in Canada too.  They probably planned to end Season 1 on a cliffhanger like that, to increase interest in a potential Season 2.

[insubordination]

Wrong info

Edited May 23, 2017 by insubordination
wrong info

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

As The Season Ends, Would We Say Anne With An E Is Even About Anne?

And other questions sparked by 'Wherever You Are Is My Home.'

[jzygayle]

Well, I went along with the changes in the first 4 episodes, because they didn't detract too much from the original stories nor from Anne.  Even when they Mary Sue'd Anne into knowing how to battle a house fire better than all the residents of PEI, who surely have battled house fires before now.  But, okay.  I was willing to put that aside a bit.

However, the bits with members of a small community not even KNOWING the Cuthberts, Jerry getting beat up and robbed and then the Cuthberts welcoming (unbeknownst to them) the robbers into their farm is just too much Michael Landonization (see Little House and how they blew up the town in the series finale) of the Anne of Green Gables story.  I get that this adaptation wanted to delve into some dark corners but this is STILL the Anne of Green Gables story--where there's some darkness, yes, but the POINT is that there's a (mostly) happy ending (sorry, Walter....).  The melodramatic add-ons don't add on.  They detract from the story.  And for me, they jumped the shark.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

As The Season Ends, Would We Say Anne With An E Is Even About Anne?

And other questions sparked by 'Wherever You Are Is My Home.'

[iMonrey]

Overall I enjoyed it, but I just don't think the changes from the book really added anything to the story. There were little things here and there I didn't mind - in fact when I read the first book I always wondered why they didn't explain more about Matthew and Marilla, and why they never married and ran a farm together. But some of the added plots felt wildly out of place, and I'm reasonably certain that LM Montgomery would have been horrified by at least a few of the changes. Matthew attempting suicide is much too dark, and completely against the spirit of the books. 

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I don't know how life insurance worked back then, but wouldn't death by suicide negate his insurance? It certainly would nowadays. 

There's that, too. It's possible Matthew didn't realize that but I was yelling at the TV they'd never get the insurance if he committed suicide. 

I really hate when shows end on cliff-hangers when they're not certain they're getting another season. If this had been cancelled and it ended that way I would have felt like I wasted seven hours of my life for nothing.

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

was yelling at the TV they'd never get the insurance if he committed suicide. 

That isn't true for most life insurance policies which typically pay out for suicides if the policy has been in place with no changes for at least two years.

[Camera One]

Was that the case for the late 1800s?  

[biakbiak]

19 hours ago, Camera One said:

Was that the case for the late 1800s?  

Yes. In fact it used to be more lenient then so there might not  have the 2 years clause(I am only speaking for the US). My mother was an actuary and became the VP of a very well known insurance company and every television show that involved a death or a maming resulted in a lecture about what really happens.that most suicides are in fact covered. It really made me doubt Jessi

[film noire]

There used to be open ended exclusion for suicide in policies (I wonder if that's because it was a crime in most places?) 

"A related change had to do with how insurers dealt with suicide. It used to be that policies regularly contained an open-ended exclusion for suicide - if the insured offed himself, regardless of how long after purchasing coverage, the insurer didn't have to pay...After much litigation, the suicide exclusion has now been limited in most cases to two years, research having indicated that such a period is long enough to weed out those who buy life insurance with the specific intention of killing themselves thereafter."

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2746/would-life-insurance-be-paid-out-on-someone-executed-for-a-crime

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Even when they Mary Sue'd Anne into knowing how to battle a house fire better than all the residents of PEI, who surely have battled house fires before now. 

Yeah, that was cringeworthy.

[animalnurse]

On 5/20/2017 at 8:15 PM, taragel said:

 But I didn't follow what happened after the brother dying that made Marilla and Matthew both turn into spinsters? 

 

 

I don't remember exactly where, I think one of the later episodes, Marilla explains that after their older brother died their mother was too broken to take care of anything anymore. 

[vaudree]

  On ‎2017‎-‎05‎-‎20 at 8:15 PM, taragel said:

 But I didn't follow what happened after the brother dying that made Marilla and Matthew both turn into spinsters? 

 

 

I don't remember exactly where, I think one of the later episodes, Marilla explains that after their older brother died their mother was too broken to take care of anything anymore. 

They were both taken out of school when the older brother died. Marilla was "needed at home" - get the feeling that there is more to it than that. John Blythe married late in life, but eventually he stopped waiting for Marilla, that we know. And Marilla did not have the education or the training to be able to do anything other than clean, cook and sew.

There is no mention of the father so I presume that he died before the older brother did and Matthew, who was the youngest, was needed to work the farm. Matthew seemed to have been about Jerry's age when he was called to be the "man" of the family and was a very shy kid. Being taken out of school likely made him even more shy. Jerry, being an employee, he needs to be able to communicate to get hired to do what is asked of him. Matthew had no need to talk to anyone outside of the family for years.

[vaudree]

Camera One, Anne's "flashbacks" seem to correspond to her fears as to what she is about to face - it is redundant to show them again when Prissy puts it into Anne's head that, because the Cuthberts are now "poor" they might send her back - you don't need to see them again to know what Anne is thinking, the look on her face says it all.

Check Sanity - I think that Matthew took out the loan figuring that he could pay it off quickly when the ship arrived.  If the ship had not sunk, their fortunes would have been better rather than worse.  Marilla agreed to getting an orphan boy because she figured that if Matthew kept up the pace at his age he would die figuring that Matthew could now do half the work.  Marilla was also angry because, if the ship had not sunk, Matthew's plans were to increase the work load because there was two of them working the farm rather than slow down.  Matthew seems to have invested in a new potato seed.  I think that Matthew was acting out of fear and guilt rather than true depression - he was trying to set things right and not be a burden since his identity was tied up with being the breadwinner.  It would be normal for him to fear never being able to work again.  Think there was a tendency to see anyone slagging the series as a threat to a season two for a while.

Agree that Anne almost losing Matthew made her understand Gilbert's grief better, though Gilbert would not have been quite as forgiving if Anne's did not accidentlly get him thinking that the only thing worse than his father dying was never knowing him in the first place - grief is the price one pays for all the good times.

Keener, the Cuthberts are as old as these womens' parents and tended to keep to themselves - people would know them to see them, but not really know them personally.  Gilbert's working holiday will probably open his eyes, solidfy his plans to be a doctor and get him out of the way so things could develop differently than if he was present.  Think the truce will be temporary.

SeanC - agree, this board thing will be resolved in the season opening. You asked why they did not rob the Barrys (or by extension the Blythes).  The thieves don't know that the Blythe house is empty or they would have - and the Barrys did not ask for boarders.  Thieves like to steal and not get caught so an isolated farm outside of town suits them perfectly - and, if everything goes according to plan, they can slip out into the night and be long gone before the family realises that they have been robbed.  The wrench in their plans is that the second one recognises Anne as being the girl with the boy they robbed so he will be watching her like a hawk.  Anne also suspects something because of the look the second one gave her before he recovered his act. 
Forget who poster, I think that this season was about Anne slowly realising that being with the Cuthberts is permanent - the last hurdle being through good times and bad (when things went south, she usually got sent back to the orphanage).  You know deep down that they don't lose the farm and the thieves were basically there in the cliff hanger to make losing the farm a real possibility - if they find the money Marilla plans to take to the bank after the holidays.
Figure that I understand the characters better than other adaptations.

[SomeTameGazelle]

19 hours ago, vaudree said:

Keener, the Cuthberts are as old as these womens' parents and tended to keep to themselves - people would know them to see them, but not really know them personally.

In addition to attending church, Marilla (in the books) regularly attended Ladies' Aid meetings and had guests at Green Gables.

[Daisy]

I have to say I am a weird Anne-Fan. I barely remember reading the book, it's been so long. I remember when I was in school we weren't allowed to read Anne or any of the subsequent books which I always thought it weird, being you know - Canadian, and taking Canadian Literature as a university prep course (but why read LMM - when you could read Margaret Atwood. Again). So Anne for me, was (and is) the MF/JC 1985 version. That's Anne for me. And I am very protective of my Anne-Girl. 
 

I think (bingewatching this on CBC) - had I watched this when it first aired in Canada. I probably would have stopped after the first episode. I was really not happy. But I kept on going and it started to flow a bit better, so I do think this show is meant to be bingewatched (or maybe that's just the world we live in now). But I do think a story like Anne is meant to be shown and over and not stretched out. I remember telling my friend... I like the show. But I don't like Anne. I didn't find her endearing as I did with 1985 Anne. But slowly and surely she did somewhat grow on me. and regardless of it being 1985 and 2017 - Gilbert Blythe is destined to be my first literary boyfriend. Swoon. 

It's really weird to like a show... but not like it at the same time but not in a 'hate-watch' sense but in a "I'm just not sure" sense. If someone told me to watch this show, and they named the characters something else. I have this feeling i'd probably enjoy it other than the real strong 2017 overtones in some moments. Being labeled "Anne" made me watch with a more .. apprehensive eye so to speak that could be blocking it. But this is the first adaptation i've seen since "The Continuing Story." and I'm glad i tuned in. 

[Kellyim10]

"At the same time, I don't understand the impulse to adapt a beloved story that everybody knows and make it halfway unrecognizable in both tone and detail."

This was eventually my problem with Kevin Sullivan's productions of Anne (the CBC/PBS versions we all watched as kids). The 2nd half of the 2nd movie became a mishmash of 2 or 3 Anne books, and the 3rd movie was just a train wreck that put Anne and Gilbert in WWI with some sort of spy story. What?

I read and reread all of the Anne books growing up and they still have a place of honor on my bookshelf. Anne was a touchstone for this nerdy, bookish girl who wanted to be a writer. The stories are good stuff and I wish someone would loyally adapt the source material for real. I would love to see those movies, and to pass them on to my kids.

Calling something "Anne" when you're not going to actually present the story of Anne Shirley seems like a cheap attempt to co-opt characters who are beloved by many simply to gather an audience that is hopeful that you might create something like what they already love in the books.

[SomeTameGazelle]

I have finally watched the last episode. I liked watching the children get ready for the Christmas concert (was that Moody Spurgeon MacPherson at the table with Anne?) but I would have liked it so much better if we had actually had a chance to get to know the children as individuals and if they had some personality other than Really Mean.  And when they got up to sing after Josie Pye upset Anne, I was thinking that Diana really should have been holding Anne's hand or have a good reason why she was prevented from doing so.

I also thought it was a shame that Anne was visiting Aunt Josephine for the first time with Jerry instead of with Diana. It feels like Jerry and Gilbert and now strange villainous boarders are getting development that should be Diana's by right. Diana may not be an interesting character in the sense of being brilliant and destined for great things, but in the context of the gentle mild version of Avonlea, it's interesting to see how Anne loves her and thinks of her as her dearest friend even after she acknowledges that there are other people in the world who are more her speed intellectually and socially.

Are we supposed to think that the villainous boarders who mugged Jerry are deliberately targeting Green Gables, or that it was a coincidence that on the same day they did the mugging they also found a printed notice in the newspaper that Green Gables was taking boarders? And why did it take them so long to show up at Green Gables after they found the notice? Is Anne in love with the cute villainous boarder already? Will he be the cause of her dyeing her hair green?

I noticed that Moira Walley-Beckett was listed on IMDB as "Lady (uncredited)" in this episode -- was she the blonde standing next to the woman who told Rachel Lynde that she didn't really know the Cuthberts?

[Camera One]

1 hour ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I noticed that Moira Walley-Beckett was listed on IMDB as "Lady (uncredited)" in this episode -- was she the blonde standing next to the woman who told Rachel Lynde that she didn't really know the Cuthberts?

Yes, she was.  Apparently an extra had to pull out unexpectedly or something.  I had to laugh at that Avonlea - the Big Town Where No One Knows Anyone moment.

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I have finally watched the last episode. I liked watching the children get ready for the Christmas concert (was that Moody Spurgeon MacPherson at the table with Anne?) but I would have liked it so much better if we had actually had a chance to get to know the children as individuals and if they had some personality other than Really Mean. 

That's another really strange thing.  The only child who seemed to get some development was Ruby after her house suffered the fire damage.  You'd think they would flesh out the others a bit more.  I suppose this is better than the Martin Sheen version, where I can't even tell the children apart.

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I also thought it was a shame that Anne was visiting Aunt Josephine for the first time with Jerry instead of with Diana. It feels like Jerry and Gilbert and now strange villainous boarders are getting development that should be Diana's by right.

Even Jerry's development is so minuscule despite having the screentime.  I don't feel like I know much about him at all.  You'd think Mr. Barry or Mr. Lynde might have gone with Anne out of friendship for Matthew and Marilla.  Or maybe not, since "they don't really know them".

I'm also not sure what they are trying to do with Gilbert going to sail the seas.  Was his character in the book too boring?  He needs to be itching for adventure?

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Are we supposed to think that the villainous boarders who mugged Jerry are deliberately targeting Green Gables, or that it was a coincidence that on the same day they did the mugging they also found a printed notice in the newspaper that Green Gables was taking boarders? And why did it take them so long to show up at Green Gables after they found the notice? Is Anne in love with the cute villainous boarder already? Will he be the cause of her dyeing her hair green?

I think it was supposed to be a coincidence.  

[MrHammondsGhost]

On 7/2/2017 at 7:32 PM, vaudree said:

Matthew seemed to have been about Jerry's age when he was called to be the "man" of the family and was a very shy kid. 

Matthew had no need to talk to anyone outside of the family for years.

My view is that Matthew was bullied by his elder sister Marilla from the beginning, as seen in E1 it shows Marilla demanding that the orphanage gives them an obedient boy who is not lazy, and Matthew sitting there quiet as he knows those demands applied to his self too for his entire life.

In this last episode E7 it has Matthew finally being loved both by Anne and by Marilla which he had never experienced before, and it seems very likely that it was the first and only time that Matthew and Marilla held hands as their only tender embrace in their lives - as Matthew asked for forgiveness.

Marilla was really just like Rachel as a bully, and most bullies really do think that being harsh and cruel is how they express love, and Marilla had to unlearn the bullying in E2 by seeing that she bullied Anne out of the house and into the streets, and that is the truly best way to stop a bully is by the bully seeing that they are hurting the very people closest to them.

Another scene was after Mrs Berry caught Anne and Diana being drunk (E5) because we can see that Diana is terrified of her mother as Diana cringes before her, and if that was just the actress acting then she (Delila) played it realistic as she was visibly afraid of Mrs Berry as her mother - and that too is just another aspect of bullying.

I even like the scene where Aunt Josephine came charging down stairs to complain (to bully) about the ruckus in the kitchen and both Ruby and Diana froze but Anne confronted Aunt Jo by quoting the book about "baring what is our fate to bare" because in that case Anne instantly retaliated against the bullying and put a stop to it.

[Cherry Cola]

The Josephine Barry charachter is a delight! Is she like that in the book? I am currently reading it, but not that far.  

What kind of horse was the black horse they sold? What a beautiful animal! Horses are so majestic.  It was absolutely tragical ( hehe) that they had to sell it. 

[Llywela]

11 hours ago, Cherry Cola said:

The Josephine Barry charachter is a delight! Is she like that in the book? I am currently reading it, but not that far. 

They've made a few significant changes to her story, but yes, she pretty much is like that in the book.